A scene of life in Hanoi

Morning, 7 a.m., the time when the early birds start chirping and hunting for those juicy worms, the time when the sun rises above the gloomy navy sky and also the time when people of the world start their day. You can hear the clanking sound of doors opening and birds chirping to the point…

Onwards to Tram Mountain

Woken up by my phone notification, I turned on the screen to check what was new. There was an invitation from a friend of mine to Tram Berg – a place where the deep, deep valleys reside, where nature breaks free of the intrusion of human urbanization and also where lies the suburban lifestyle. The…

Gems in the heart of Hanoi

I am here in Hanoi, Vietnam for three months and I am thrilled to re-explore the beauty of the city where I was born and raised. Looking around at the densely populated houses and the people, I know hidden gems will be found and fun will be had. As my friend and I walk down…

The Taj Mahal – Stepping into pure wonder

Like a number of awe-inspiring experiences, coming face-to-face with the Taj Mahal is finally reaching the front of the winding line from which you couldn’t glimpse the attraction. Unlike others, this is quite intentional. From the time you reach the public entrance at the traffic roundabout until you step under the red sandstone gateway arch,…

Haggling in India

It feels as though everyone in India is an entrepreneur. A fair assumption when travelling the country is that no product or service is too insignificant to bargain over. Even those already in employ, such as IndiGo baggage charge collectors, appear somewhat disappointed not to be cajoled. An expectant look, daring you to twist their…

Explore Trois-Rivières

From June 28 to July 31, I participated in the Explore program at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières. I studied French in an immersion environment with a no-English rule, where you risk being expelled from the program if caught speaking English. My stay in Trois-Rivières was very exciting from beginning to end. The French…

A Scene at les FrancoFolies de Montréal | Photo by Katy Thompson

Explore Quebec and learn French

It’s been a whirlwind of a journey so far! When I signed up to participate in L’École d’été de français, a five week intensive French immersion program at the University of Sherbrooke, my greatest ambition was to improve my French language skills, but I quickly realized that this was only one part of a greater…

Photo Mosaic

South America

From Peru, Jan Hilario sent the Source Newspaper a visual update of her travels. Hilario left Vancouver on April 2. She doesn’t plan to return until hitting the majority of our globe and has seven months left on this self-imposed one-year-tour.